Six Bowie State University students volunteered with the Prince George’s County social services department last week to assess the scope of homelessness in the county, as part of a federal effort to reduce the nation’s homeless population.

Gloria Lawlah, secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging, encouraged students to follow in the footsteps of courageous civil rights leaders, such as Thurgood Marshall, to make a difference in their communities on issues they care about. View photos from the Convocation.

President Mickey L. Burnim will be honored for his outstanding work with mentoring male students with a Distinction of Hope Award presented by Senior Pastor Tony Lee of the Community of Hope AME Church in Temple Hills, Md. The award, honoring exceptional people who have contributed to their communities, will be presented to Dr. Burnim on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 10 a.m.

Dr. Frederick Mills, professor of philosophy, was consulted as an expert in Salvadoran politics in a Fox News Latino story about El Salvador’s presidential elections. Dr. Mills is also a senior research fellow for the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.

For the third time this season, Darrell Brooks, head men's basketball coach, was named CIAA Coach of the Week for guiding the Bulldogs (5-6, 4-1 CIAA) to sole possession of first place in the North after road wins at Virginia State and Elizabeth City State.

Bowie State University is the featured institution in the membership spotlight on the website of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, highlighting the university’s commitment to green efforts. Bowie State has implemented an energy performance contract that will lower campus utility bills by $4.1 million and save $1.2 million in energy costs. The project will ultimately help the campus emit 1,593 fewer tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Tamyra Lewis, a freshman theatre arts major, placed third runner-up in a regional competition for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship in January 2013, as part of the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival. Lewis portrayed Lysistrata in a modern version of the Greek anti-war comedy, “Lysistrata,” performed by the Bowie State Theatre. If one of the two regional finalists drops out, Lewis will be able to compete for one of two national scholarships at the national college theater festival in Washington, D.C. in April 2014.

Don’t take the ATM receipt. ATM receipts are one of the top sources of litter on the planet. If everyone in the United States left their receipt in the machine, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator 15 times.